Who can deny the novelty, modernity yet sylvan nature of DIY projects? The phrase “do it yourself” actually came into common usage in the 1950s in reference to home improvement projects which people might choose to complete independently; while its innovative aura spread to a range of influences from modern consumer culture, Home Depots to even garage rock bands. And now as the auspicious chimes of ‘green’ technology are sounding at all corners of our life, its high time we ordinary folk smartly start contributing to energy efficient matters in our own little way. So with a whiff of sustainability, let us check out the 12 fascinating yet cost effective DIY projects contrived by eco-individuals. 1. Reusable raft created from recycled plastic bottles: 
From high brow artists to rag pickers; everyone had their tryst with plastic bottles. And this time it’s the guys in the picture above, who have furnished their very own raft from 450 empty, labels-less plastic bottles. The bottles were packed in garden mesh and affixed to a plywood board to give form to the totally reusable raft. And is always the case, the designers have painstakingly collected those bottles from crummy roadsides and downright grungy junkyards. 2. Laptop stand made from repurposed cardboard: 
Enough of those over-the-top, high priced plastic laptop stands! Designer Eric Skiff has contrived a low cost, DIY laptop stand, made completely from three pieces of recycled cardboard pieces cut to optimum specifications. Check out the pretty simple method and more variations of the same process at Thingiverse. 3. Cassette Lamp – Recycling never looked this cool: 
Looking like an Art Deco masterpiece, this ‘contraption’ was actually created by assembling a myriad of those old cassette tapes (the nostalgic 90’s, anyone?) and sticking them into one hollow square piece. The ensuing vibrant conception comes with a wooden stand and a light bulb inside; and Voila! – We have our very own artistic cassette lamp. 4. Convert your regular bike in to an electric powered one: 
There is always a situation with us sentimental folk, when we want to buy that super-cool electric bike in all its highfalutin glory, while on the other hand there is no love lost between us and our ever-trusty old bike. But wait; there is always a solution – why not turn your old bike into an electric one? Engineers – Jeff Radtke and Hans Noeldner have exactly done that by incorporating an electric motor and standard Dewalt 36V battery into their old bike. This converted electric contraption of 1HP gives a range of around 10-20 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of 28mph. 5. Design your own solar oven: 
Do you live in Florida and have a cardboard box? Well, then you can easily create your very own solar oven, as it only requires a cardboard box, aluminium foil, a plastic warp, sunlight and of course food (to be heated). You just need to cut out the cardboard box (with its four sides intact), and wrap them with aluminium foil to create a sort of rudimentary enclosure of an oven. Now, you can keep the food covered with plastic inside this ‘oven’ and let it be in the sun. The outcome will be well heated and nourishing meal done in the simple DIY style. 6. Bike with pedal-powered EL wire lights up your way: 
No, it’s not a Tron bike, but rather a conception infused with dollops of convenience. Coming with an Electro-Luminescent wire (a thin copper wire coated in phosphor which glows when an AC Current at about 90-130 volts is applied to it), the EL swing bike literally makes use of mechanical-human energy to be ‘lightened’ up. You just have to paddle your way, while the pedal power transforms into electrical-light energy to illuminate those dark alleys, once you are on for those late night romps of bike adventure. 7. Super Mario fan creates Princess Peach from plastic bottle caps: How to pay tribute to the one of the greatest and highest selling video games of all time? Instructables user Skeplin has done that by creating a pixilated portrait of the iconic and ever adorable Princess Peach (Mario’s damsel in distress) entirely from bottle caps. With over 1000 bottle caps (ranging up to 26 colors required by the Princess’s visage) meticulously affixed over a 28×35 inches grid, the final outcome was every videogame fanboy’s ultimate fantasy – a true to behold portrait of the one and only Princess Peach Toadstool. 8. DIY USB-powering generator sources power from your bike rides: 
Conscientiously reaching out to more number of people, this DIY conception not only charges Nokia phones (like Nokia’s Bicycle Charger Kit), but also manages to power other types of mobile phones as well. Utilizing a small dynamo that is induced when in contact with the rotating wheel, the USB charger can provide up to 5W of power for juicing up any hand held device. 9. Milk Crates make a magical turn furniture land! 
The exquisite chandelier you see in the above image is actually crafted from milk crates…yes those obnoxiously smelly and loud plastic milk crates. Its just a matter of color combination matching with your room, and once you get that right, it is quite easy to append the whole decor system. On the other hand just think of the toxic plastic you saved from getting into the landfills. Follow the link to see other clever creations of furniture made out of such plastic crates. 10. Making a recycled solar-powered stove without spending a penny: 
Essentially made from those ubiquitous 90’s junk cluttered around in the back-end of our garages, one can contrive a dirt-cheap recycled solar-powered stove. Making use of a discarded 62-inch satellite dish as the reflective facade, the creator had attached most of the (unused) CDs with the help of 1/8″ X 3/4″ fender washers and 4 by 3/8″ machine screws. Now to make the stove, he employed 3” ABS plastic pipe filled with concrete. With their alignments tapering at the other end to form the base (to hold the grilled stove), a temperature of 400 degrees was easily achievable without any external expenses. Check out the 6 detailed steps further at Instructables. 11. Low-tech composter runs on wind energy: 
There may be a conscionable side to it, but composting is hard work for us ordinary folk, especially in relation to the rotation technique we have take part in, every now and then. But an Instructables user had shown the easy, convenient yet practical way to compost organic kitchen wastes, in which the drums can be rotated by movement of wind power. 12. Recycle an old refrigerator into a $5 solar water heater: 
Truly adhering to the principles of cost effective recycling, an user at The Sietch has ingeniously created a DIY solar-powered water heater. Coming at a cost of less than 5 bucks and utilizing the radiator grill of an old and dirty refrigerator as the main component, he has conceived this conception with other easily available materials such as some reflective aluminum foil, scotch tape, glue, wood, glass, hoses and an old door mat.
